Chapter 19: Jihoon’s Question
“Can I ask you something personal?” Jihoon said over beer. They were at their usual spot—a tiny bar in Pangyo that served terrible food and excellent company.
“You can always ask.”
“How do you know things?”
Dojun set down his glass. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve known you for fifteen years, Dojun. I’ve watched you predict market shifts, technology trends, geopolitical events—things that no one should be able to predict. At first, I thought you were just brilliant. Then I thought you were lucky. Now I think it’s something else.”
“What else?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking.”
They sat in silence for a long time. The bar’s TV played a baseball game. The bartender polished glasses. The world continued its ordinary rotation.
“I can’t tell you,” Dojun said finally. “Not because I don’t trust you—I trust you more than anyone except Hana. But because the answer would change how you see everything. How you see me. How you see the world. And I’m not ready for that.”
“Will you ever be ready?”
“I hope so.”
Jihoon studied his friend for a long moment. Then he nodded, picked up his beer, and said: “When you’re ready, I’ll be here. And I’ll bring snacks, because in my experience, life-changing conversations go better with snacks.”
“You’re a good friend, Jihoon.”
“I’m the best friend. There’s a difference. Now drink your beer and tell me about Q4 projections.”
They talked about projections. They didn’t talk about the future. But both of them knew, in the way that old friends know things without saying them, that the conversation had been the beginning of something. A door left open. An invitation extended.
Someday, Dojun would walk through that door. And Jihoon would be there, with snacks, waiting.